Typical garage door openers are known in the art and have become more sophisticated over time to provide increased security and functionality. However, the various technological improvements and features of barrier operators result in higher energy consumption.
Barrier operators, such as garage door openers or automated gate openers, are capable of using various power sources. One such power source can be an AC power connection. Another power source can be a battery. Solar power may also be used as a power source, either by connecting to a home's power grid or by charging a battery. A solar power charged battery is a beneficial option in many situations, including a detached garage located away from the home or other structure, a stand-alone barrier without access to a power grid, or as an alternative to using an available power grid to improve overall energy efficiency.
Barrier operators typically include a controller that sends control signals to an operator motor to open or close the barrier as needed. The controller typically includes a radio receiver that receives a signal that instructs the controller to open or close the barrier. The signal is typically a radio frequency (“RF”) signal sent from a remote transmitter to the controller. A single frequency RF signal can be used, but this solution is generally not secure in that it can be more easily captured and duplicated.
Another type of signal transmission is a spread spectrum signal. The spread spectrum signal includes multiple frequencies making the signal more secure and more difficult to duplicate. However, a transmitter/receiver using a spread spectrum signal typically uses a radio receiver that scans these multiple frequencies to receive the signal. Scanning a wide range of spread spectrum frequencies uses a higher amount of power from the power source. Thus, to utilize the broad range spread spectrum signal/receiver combination for the increased security, the garage door opener typically draws more power, becoming more expensive and/or draining the attached battery.
In addition to the barrier operator that opens and closes the barrier, barrier operator systems typically include additional components that communicate with the operator. For example, garage door opener systems generally include a safety system that can detect if a person or object is in the path of the door. If an object is in the path of the door, the safety system transmits a signal to the garage door operator, and the garage door ceases closing or reverses direction to prevent closing on the object or person. The safety system may communicate wirelessly with the garage door operator using a spread spectrum RF signal, as well, in order to improve security and reliability. Similarly, this results in higher energy consumption.
Other components of the garage door system may also utilize a spread spectrum communication with the garage door operator, potentially requiring a relatively higher amount of energy consumption.